Combination harvester thrasher



Jan. 28, 1930.

w. F. MacGREGoR 1,744,978

COMBINATION HARVESTER THRASHER Filed April 19. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jari. 28, 1930.` w F, MacGREGQR 1,744,978

COMBINATION HARVESTER THRASHER Filed April 19, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2` TIL?. 5.

Patented Jan. 28, 193C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALLACE F. MACGREGOR, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T J. I. CASE COMPANY,

OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION COMBINATION HARVESTER THRASHER Application led April 19,

Combination harvester-thrashers, as is well known, are considerably wider than other transportable agricultural machinery, and it is therefore desirable to assemble the thrashing and harvesting elements thereof as to permit them to readily pass through gates, over roadwa s, bridges, and the like, and it is the object .o my invention to provide means for appreciably decreasing the width of such a combination machine for transportation and storage and to so position the harvester (or header) in relation to the thrasher as to be supported and carried thereby; and I have also provided further improvements in such a machine, as will now more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, Figure 1 is a plan of a machine embodying my improvements and showing 2o the harvester in normal cutting position;

Fig. 2 a rear elevation showing the harvester transposed to edgewise position in relation to the thrasher; Fig. 3 a side elevation of the thrasher and indicating a portion of the harvester and associated parts in full and dotted lines when the harvester is in such edgewise position; Fig. 4 a rear elevation showing the harvester folded alongside the thrasher; Fig. 5 a detail section taken on the dotted line 5-5 in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 a detail of ratchet-and-pawl mechanism which I employ, taken on the dotted line 6--6 in Fig. 5;

and Fig. 7 is a detail section of the coupling for connecting the harvester and thrasher.

In said drawings the portions marked 5 indicate a thrasher supported on carrying wheels, 6, 7, as is common, and 8 is a harvester connected to a suitable support on the thrasher, preferably an axle 9 which carries a ground-wheel 10 at its outer end, an apron 11 between the harvester and thrasher being provided, as usual. Said axle and harvester are braced by a rod 9 and the harvester and thrasher are braced by a pivotally connected draft-rod 10 which prevents the harvester from turning from its course in relation to the thrasher during field operations. Upon said axle 9 is a coupling, 12, connected by a pin, 13, to a rotatable or rocking coupling 50 member, 14, having a iange 14', Fig. 5, mount- 1926. Serial N0. 102,846.

ed on the thrasher or its axle, 15. Integra-ily formed with or connected to said couphng 14 is a segment-rack, 16, oscillating on support 15, which rack engages a pinion, 17, mounted on crank, 18, which latter in turn passes through a counterbalancing arm, 20, connected, at 21, to a rotatable collar, 22, positioned upon a thrasher support or its axle 15, the inner end of said crank being provided with a ratchet, 23, adapted to be engaged by a pawl, 24, supported on the connection 2l, and the counterbalancing arm 20 having a weight, 25, at its free end, as usual. The outer portion of crank 18, upon which pinion 17 is mounted, is supported by a bracket, 26, connected by bolts, 27, to said armA 20, the outer end of the bracket terminating in a bearing, 26', and which bracket also constitutes a guard for the pinion 17. The arms, 30, of segment-rack 16 are provided with stops, 31, 32, terminating at right angles as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5 and adapted to engage the arm 20, for a purpose to appear. Collar 22 is provided with a keeper 22 in which flange 14 is secured, and at its opposite end said collar- 22 has a iange 35 which is held in position on the support 15 by a retainer 36 secured by a bolt 37 or otherwise by which assemblage said collars are securely held in place.

In the operation of a combination harvester-thrasher embodying my improvements it will be understood that the harvester 8 is raised and lowered, that is, adjusted to the height of cut, by suit-able mechanism (not shown) connected to said harvester and under control of an operator on the thrasher 5, and in order to counterbalance the offset weight of said harvester, which is secured to and extends forwardly of axle 9 or other suitable support, in any desired manner, I employ the weighted arm 20, the under side of which is engaged by stop 31 of the segment-rack. As the harvester is moved in a vertical direction said stop or shoe will function to raise the arm as the harvester is lowered, and, when the harvester is raised, said arm, resting upon stop 31, will follow the downward movement of segment-rack 16 until vsaid arm rests upon the supporting member or arm, 34, projecting from the thrasher, so that whenever the harvester is moved while in cutting position the weighted arm will also move in the o posite direction, and thus counterbalance tlie wei ht of the harvester and relieve the labor of t e operator when adjusting said harvesterverticallyforthepurposestated. When it is desired to move the machinery in entirety from iield to field or otherwise I am enabled to compactly fold the harvester in edgewise sition alongside the thrasher in the folowing manner. By turning crank 18 the inion 17 will actuate segment-rack 16 in a downward direction as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the weighted arm 20 assuming its resting osition on support 34, also as indicated by otted lines in said Fig. 3, it being understood that said weighted arm and rack are independently pivotally mounted on the support 15 of the thrasher. Continued turning of crank 18 causes the pivotally mounted coupling 14 and harvester support 9 to likewise rotate, the latter carrying with it the harvester secured thereto by arms, 35, or otherwise, so that when segmentrack 16 has been actuated to assume the position indicated bv the dotted lines in Fig. 3 the harvester platform has been transposed to the vertical or edgewise position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3 and full lines in Fig. 2, at which point further movement of the harvester is prevented by the stop 32 which has been brought into contact with the upper side of weighted arm 20, meantime during the oscillation of said rack the ratchetand-pawl serving to prevent the reverse movement of the rack. When the harvester platform has been brou ht into edgewise position the pintle 13, whic normally is in horizontal position, has been transposed into vertical position in relation to couplin members 12 and 14, and I am therefore ena led to readily swing the harvester on such axis in a horizontal direction, so that said harvester will occupy the position shown in Fig. 4 and be sup rted on the arm 34 in the weighted arm 20 and in whic manner the thrasher and harvester elements are folded together and the width of the machine thus materially reduced for the purposes stated; and I am therefore enabled to dispense with universal oints commonl employed for connecting the harvester an thrasher elements as the single intle 13 in normal horizontal ition permits the vertical oscillation of the E'vester, and when transposed to edgewise position in the manner stated the horizontal swinging of said harvester is readily accomplished. When arranging the machinery or field operations, it will be understood, of

course, that the harvester is swung away from the thrasher, and turning of crank 18 is reversed, which causes the segment-tach 16 to travel in the opposite direction and at the same time lower the harvester into horizontal proximity to v position ready for cutting, as indicated in full lines in Fig. 3, upon which occurrence the stop 31 again contacts with weighted arm 20 and the counterbalancing relation between said arm and harvester is restored.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher, a harvester, a coupling connecting said elements, a rack connected to said coupling, and means for actuating said rack to transpose said harvester from horizontal to edgewise position and rotatin said coupling and incidentally transposing its pivotal connection from horizontal to vertical position.

2. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher, a harvester, means for connecting said elements, means for rotatinv said connecting means to transpose said harvester into edgewise position 1n relation to said thrasher, and means supported by said thrasher for counterbalancing the offset weight of said harvester when the latter is adjusted to the height of cut in field operations.

3. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher having a sup ort extending therefrom, a harvester, flexlile means connecting said harvester to said thrasher sup ort whereby the harvester may be oseillate 1n vertical and horizontal directions, means associated with said connecting means for trans osing said harvester from horizontal to e gewise osition, and means su orted by sald thras er and cooperating wit said transposing means for counterbalancing the weight of said harvester.

4. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher, a harvester having a support, a hin ed coupling connecting said support to sai thrasher, a segment-rack connected to said coupling, a counterbalancing member mounted on said thrasher and adapted to rock, means for actuating said segment rack to rotate said harvester, and means on said rack engaging said counterbalancing member to actuate the latter u on the movement of said rack whereby sai member counterbalances the weight of said harvester.

5. In a machine of the class described, a thrasher having a support, a counterbalancing mechanism rockingly mounted thereon, a harvester, means for rockingly connecting said harvester to said thrasher support, means adjacent said counterbalancing mechanism for rotating said harvester from horizontal to edgewise position, and means on said rotating means engaging said counterbalancing mechanism to balance the weight of said harvester.

6. I n a machine of the class described, a thrasher, a harvester, an axle supportin said harvester and having a coupling mem r at its inner end, a coupling member supported on said thrasher, a pintle connecting said couplings so positioned as to permit the vertical oscillation of saidl harvester when in cutting position, and means for rotating said axle tof transpose said harvester'from' horizontal toV edgewise positions.

`/In amachine ofthe class described, a I

*thrasher, a harvester, an axle supporting said harvester and having a 'coupling member at 'its inner end, a coupling member supported on said thrasher, a pintleconnecting said couplings so positioned as to permit the vertical oscillation of said harvester when in cutting position, and means for rotating .said axle tov be swungv to swing alongside said thrasher.

8. In amachine of the class described, a

thrasher, `a harvester, an axle supporting said' y harvester, means for rockingly connecting said axle to said thrasher, means for rotating 'said .axle to position said harvester,

' vin vedgew-ise relation to said thrasher, and

means 'for preventing the reverse movement of said yrotatmg means as sa1d harvester 1s being ralsed.

v l 9. In a machine of the class described, a

thrasher, a harvester, an axle supporting said "harvester,I means for rockingly connecting szdaxle to said thrashe'r, means for rotating 'said axle to position-'said harvester in edgevwise relation tosaid thrasher, means for preventing the reverse movement of said rotating ,means as said harvester is being raised,

` and counterbalancing mechanism supported by ,said thrasher and cooperating with said rotating means to balance said harvester when adjusted to cutting positions.' v 10. Ina machine of the class described, a

" thrasher, a harvester, a support for said harvester,"a coupling connecting said harvester support'to. said thrasher, mechanism conf nectedto said coupling for manually rotat-VV ing the latter to transpose said harvester from `horizontal to edgewise position, and means sov ' tofrotate saidex'ible means to transpose said harvester from horizontal to edgewise position relation to said thrasher.

y 13.' In a vmachine of the class described, a harvester'havin an axle, a coupling on said axle, a thrasher aving a support, a coupling kon said. support, a pintle connecting said couplilgs and normally positioned horizontally therebetween, means for turning rsaid couplings andltaansposing said harvester into edgewise position and incidentally said pintle.linto vertical position whereby the harvester -may be folded in edgevvise position alongside Asaid thrasher.

.14. In a; machine of the class described, a thrasher having a support, a counterbalancing arm lrotatably mounted on'said support, a rack rotatably mounted on said support, a supporting arm on said thrasher, means on said rack engaging said counterbalancing arm, andmeans for actuating said rack to position said c'ounterbalancing arm upon said supporting arm.

15.4 'In a machine of the class described, a thrasher, a harvester, counterbalancing mechanism supported on said thrasher, a rack pivotally mounted on said thrasher support, a harvester support iiexibly connected to said '-thrasher; support, a harvester mounted on said harvester support, means for actuating said rack for rotating said harvester and actuating said counterbalancing mechanism, and means on said thrasher for limiting the move- ,ment of said counterbalancing mechanism and disengagement' of said rack from said mechanism to permit the continued rotation of said harvester to transpose the latter in e'dgewise relation to said thrasher.

'In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

WALLACE F. MACGREGOR.

, for counterbalancing the weight of saidfhar- Q i j vesterwhile the latter is being adjusted tothe height of cut. v.

1.1. In a machine of the class described, a I

thrasher having a support, counterbalancing v mechanismrotatably mounted on said supporta coupling member rotatably mountedon said support, an axle connected to said cou-- pling, alharvester supported on said axle, and y rack-and-pinion mechanism connectedito said coupling member for rotating said harvester into edgewis'e and horizontal positions in relation to said thrasher. l f

'12. Ina machine of the class described, a

thrasber1,'a harvester a suplport on which said y harvester is .mounts ,exi le means for'connecting said' sup ortto said thrasher, a rack mountedpn sai' flexible means, a counterand meansassociated with said rack and sai counterbalancingarm'foroperating'said rack 

